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The differences between psychiatric nursing assistants and mental health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health technician has an average salary of $32,118, which is higher than the $30,184 average annual salary of a psychiatric nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a psychiatric nursing assistant include patients, mental health and vital signs. The most important skills for a mental health technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Mental Health Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $30,184 | $32,118 |
| Hourly rate | $14.51 | $15.44 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 181,338 | 103,710 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 34 |
| Years of experience | 3 | - |
Psychiatric Nursing Assistants require the ability to carry out individual patient treatment programs, as well as verbalization of patients' needs, clear and concise communication of information, and ensuring patient safety and well-being. Paying out at around $26K per year, this position requires no formal education outside of a diploma or GED, but postsecondary courses in psychology may help. Those who choose this career will be called on to assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients under nursing or medical staff direction, assist patients with their daily living activities, lead them to and from examinations and treatment, and restrain patients who become violent.
A mental health technician's primary responsibility is to provide care and assistance to patients with mental health issues. Their tasks mainly revolve around administering scheduled and prescribed medication, monitoring vital signs, assisting during therapy sessions, and assessing patients' progress and behavior. They may also have administrative support tasks such as processing necessary documentation, preparing reports, managing schedules, and even reaching out to patients' guardians and families. A mental health technician may also build a healthy rapport with patients, giving them guidance and positive influence.
Psychiatric nursing assistants and mental health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Mental Health Technician | |
| Average salary | $30,184 | $32,118 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $40,000 | Between $25,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners | CARE |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric nursing assistant and a mental health technician in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Mental Health Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between psychiatric nursing assistants' and mental health technicians' demographics:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Mental Health Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 7.3% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |